Wild China

Am a big fan of nature documentaries, especially the work of David Attenborough. Having been recommended 'Wild China' through Amazon and here, it was instantly put down on my list as a must see. Also heard nothing but praise for it, which has nearly always been a good sign, so that further sparked interest.

'Wild China' is as good as others have said and there is not much to add, actually feeling much more than just a documentary. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me 'Wild China' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more.

It is hard knowing when to start with the praise. 'Wild China' for starters looks amazing, reasons enough to make book a trip to see the more naturalistic parts of China. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life. The rich colours just leap out and the scenery from this part of the world has rarely looked more beautiful. The music here is a remarkably good fit, throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them and there is an authentic flavour to it.

What of the narrative and information aspects? Can't fault 'Wild China' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful.

From start to finish, 'Wild China' managed to intrigue and illuminate, and there is a freshness to the material, not feeling derivative of anything. The narration is delivered articulately by Bernard Hill, there's an enthusiasm and precision about the delivery and it never feels preachy and always lets the scenery and such speak for itself.

The wildlife themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable and the dangerous, and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. Not just that we also see how humans interact and adapt which was just as great and interesting to watch. There is a good deal of suspense and emotional impact. There are some scenes where one is amazed that they managed to be filmed in the first place, like with the snakes.

In all the six episodes, 'Wild China' feels much more than a series and it doesn't feel episodic or repetitive. The episodes instead feel like their own story, without being too reliant on that approach, with real, complex emotions and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.

Overall, wondrous in every regard. Not to be missed. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I watched Wild Indonesia a few years ago. It was only three episodes long, but every minute was filled with information and wild animals, there was never a dull moment. Why then do we need six episodes the tell us about the meager wildlife in China? The answer is we don't, which is why the scenes drag on forever and the pace of everything is so slow.

As for narration, I like Bernard Hill in some movies, but in this his voice is, to me anyway, incredibly dull and gray.

I can only assume that people rating this highly do so because it's a nice introduction to China and they don't know to much. I lived there for two years, and travelled through Indonesia, so perhaps that's some explanation.

To sum up, this would have made one or two hours good TV, but production companies are probably paid by the minutes of TV shown.

To be honest, as a 23-year old Chinese young man, watching a documentary, so deeply about China, yet made completely by England and so well made, doesn't feel so good. But fortunately, the truth that the wilderness of China doesn't belong to any government in the political world does relieve me of the shame from the thought that the beauty of China should only be presented to the world by China.

Isn't it true that the world itself at its very beginning didn't have any government or country, and animals don't have to carry a ID card with them that says "I AM ... CITIZEN", and there are so many mountains and rivers and forests that run through more than one country? And don't forget about the sky that every single creature is underneath. The nature belongs to no one but everyone. So anybody that has the will and capability to make a documentary about the nature of the world should be able to enjoy the freedom to do it.

Especially when it's SO WONDERFULLY DONE!

This is by far the moat self serving "nature documentary" that i have ever seen. When i watch a nature documentary that is exactly what i want to see.... the animals and land of the region, but this documentary was just as much about the religion and beliefs of the people of China than it was about nature. The Tibet episode was almost entirely about the beliefs of the people. It seems as if the people of China have already killed off all of their animals so they couldn't fill 6 full episodes with nature. How can you make a nature documentary called "Tibet" and in that episode only mention Mt Everest in passing? I do not recommend these shows if you are looking for a good nature documentary. Maybe the last episode, because i didn't bother to watch it.

"Wild China" is a catchy name, but a more appropriate name for this show would be "Chinese Habitats and Traditions." Approximately 70% of the show presents human cooperation with nature, domestic animals, farming practices, and conservation efforts, and another 15-20% shows human traditions with no direct nature interactions at all. Only 10-15% of the show actually focuses on wild creatures and landscapes.

Now, that's not to say it's a bad show. I did learn a bit in each episode, in spite of the particularly monotonous narrator trying his hardest to lose my interest. The narrator was by far the worst thing about the show. It wasn't bad enough to call the show terrible, but that's probably the main reason I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.